This book has been on my radar for a while so I'm so glad I got the chance to read it and needless to say it did not disappoint. The representation in this book was everything. Being able to see an Asian and neurodivergent person as the main character made me really happy.

In terms of the love interests at first, I was like "choose griffin already!" but I later realized that Jessie is someone who sees the world differently from me and I should be more aware that everyone sees the world differently. Jessie's growth throughout the book and the fact she was able to accomplish all the goals she written in her journal made me so happy!

I also wish Griffin was real, like please I need a Griffin in my life.

Overall, this book was so fun and I loved the representation and Jessie's growth as a character.

**Thanks, NetGalley, for this ARC. This review is my opinion**

I gave this a few chapters, but the story wasn't pulling me in. I think the way Jessie acts just grates on me. I understand she's 15, but for the love of god.... I've been on the hunt for more books with characters on the spectrum, and I just wish this had been better.

I got to read an ARC of this through Netgalley. It is being released in mid-June.

YA romance, first person, single POV, MC is a Palestinian-Canadian girl diagnosed autistic the summer before her first year of high school. While definitely a romance, it's also a novel of self-acceptance as Jessie learns to navigate her diagnosis and deals with high school social life and conscious decisions about masking and unmasking. The love triangle (yes, there is a love triangle) is in some ways fairly conventional, but I think very well executed-- even while there is a clear "right guy," the other one has his moments. I guess some reviewers have trouble believing that Jessie is oblivious to one boy's romantic interest for as long as she is. All I can say is those readers are (a) obviously neurotypical and (b) not internalizing what the novel clearly communicates about Jessie's reading of social cues directed at her that don't fit with a current paradigm. It's SUPER realistic.

The romance plot is cute and compelling, but the things that make this a great read are: (1) Jessie's narrative voice!!!! She is such a real and endearing teen narrator, and it is a delightfully voicey book. (2) The friendships, which are much more of an unconventional emotional rollercoaster than the romance plot, because Jessie has always been the weird kid and is trying to figure out how to make friends and sustain friendships, and it is hard and confusing and frustrating and ultimately mostly rewarding. (3) The autistic rep, by an actually autistic author, is so good, and autism is enmeshed in the story, but it isn't an autism story, it's a love story. She's just getting to be a teenager, with an extra layer of challenge. And I can't wait to get this book into students' hands.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra books, and Jackie Khalilieh for this totally tubular ARC.

Dear Future Reader,
If you are looking for a book synopsis here, you won’t find one. You WILL find reasons I believe you should read this book.
All the best,
Tasha R.

I loved this book. Truly. It was bliss. It did all the things my favorite books do: feel deeply, connect to the characters, remember things, and inspire.

I felt happy, mad, and sad right along with Jessie. Throw some utter humiliation in there, too. I connected in that my own father was VERY strict, those crushes were really something, and the seemingly overnight growth of new parts during puberty really not rad. I remembered my own high school experience and how my main hs crush had traits of the boys in Jessie’s orbit. I want to linger here, but then I’d miss out on the most important part. This book made me want to return to an old work of mine and finally get the story written and to journal again.

I hope to whatever divine universe force you choose to believe in, that you fall madly for this book and that Jessie charms you with all her ups and downs in romance, school, family, and friends as she did for me.

✍️ Jackie Khalilieh
💬 English

⭐⭐⭐💫

When I found this book on NetGalley, I hit the request button without a second thought. First, the cover illustration was very attractive. It gave me a nostalgic vibe of my teenage years. Secondly, the description was promising.

The story follow Jessie Kassis, a teenage girl who medically assessed with autistic spectrum. She has just entered high school and was trying to blend in as a normal person (which she was not) by trying to cover up her autistic behavior. By medical advise, Jessie had a notebook filled with her short-term small goals she want to achieve during her school years to help her focus.

Jessie Kassis was an interesting character. Apart from her autistic spectrum, her background of being half-Canadian and half-Palestinian, made this book unique and different. As the only POV in the story, I learned a lot about how complicated Jessie's brain was.

Jessie had a severe obsession with small goals that she set for herself, that--eventually--restrained herself from moving forward, made her life chaotic. She also often ignore other things unrelated to her goals. For example, Griffin's existence. I found it hilarious that Jessie was fully aware about his presence after long-long time despite his genuine and constant kindness toward her. It was the same with Jessie's surrounding. Her people could change from friends to enemies and friends again in just a few paragraphs-- that, actually, it could happen in real life though.

Unfortunately, this book didn't explain much about the setting. The description of school and the atmosphere around her were vague. And Jessie's public speech? Not the best part of the book, I must say. It could have been better--something more.

In any words, It still a good book. It was perfect for a light, coming-of-age romcom.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Random House Canada for the e-ARC in exchange for honest review.

This book was so well written, I was pretty much hooked the whole time. The narration is really heartfelt and relatable, and I legit felt like I was back at high school - I relived all the pain, the awkwardness of fitting in, the changing friendships, and the growth I had during high school with this book. I found the endgame romance to be SO sweet, and I loved how the MC found her confidence at the end! It was very YA movie-esque.

TWs - cheating, bullying at school, death of a grandparent

-- ty to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Something More chronicles Jessie's year in ninth grade as she comes to terms with her autism diagnosis while also navigating new friendships and feelings about boys. There's a perfect amount of drama and realism in this thoughtful coming of age novel that fans of Jenny Han will love-- I was completely invested!

I was so excited to finally get this ARC! I knew I had to read it and I am so glad I did. A BIPOC story of a young girl navigating her new life after being diagnosed with autism? This was absolutely wonderful. Being that I have just been diagnosed as neurodivergent myself, a story like this came at just the right time and I can't wait for other young girls to get the chance of experiencing Jessie's story as well. I don't know what I expected but I was so moved by how raw and genuine the writing for this book was. I haven't read a coming of age or YA romance in a little bit so that bit took me a bit by surprise but I have to say, this is what the genre should be: adorable, authentic, and just the slightest bit emotional.

I typically don't read contemporary romance books, so if I didn't know about the autism angle in Something More, I would have skipped this one up entirely. I would have missed this great story of Jessie navigating her first year of high school while trying to understand her recent autism diagnosis and reach her many goals and appear "normal". And of course, deal with her crushes and the love triangle she’s entangled in.

I loved Jessie so much, she always felt different from her peers, and now with her autism diagnosis, she has an answer. The first couple of chapters are mostly dedicated to her past history, getting ready for high school, as well as explaining what autism is without being too info dump heavy, enough to give those unfamiliar an idea of what it is, especially for females, who often get missed. Of course, Jessie still has to deal with her family, her Palestinian heritage (which was done well and not a stereotypical setup, the family happens to be Christian Arabs), trying to fit into her friend group, and growing independence (something nearly every teen deals with). I love that autism isn't a "character flaw", or "defect", or "less than", and that the story is about Jessie learning to accept her autism in the first year since diagnosis. There's a determination I appreciated about her, despite frustrations and setbacks, it takes a lot for her to give up. Many times, I wanted to give Jessie a hug when she makes a big mistake or is about to cry, especially since she's hyper aware of how she appears to her peers, because in some ways, I've been there. I also enjoyed her 1990's pop culture special interest, so much references took me back. She's super relatable to me at least.

The other characters were fleshed out and I enjoyed what they brought to the table, and that a lot of them had character arcs playing out on and off page, adding another layer to Jessie's complicated life.

Yes, this does have a love triangle dynamic with Levi (the bad boy) and Griffin (the cinnamon roll), but both characters are fleshed out and go beyond the stereotypes. The love triangle does play out differently than the typical setup, and I really enjoyed the journey and the resolution. In fact, the whole romance arc doesn't play out typical, since Jessie is not neurotypical. It was refreshing, and oddly, relatable in a way, falling hard all at once and getting so obsessed over someone (like special interest level obsessed) that she doesn't notice much else.

The ending was just perfect, especially the last few pages, which you'll understand once you get to them, I smiled inside.

This was a fun surprise in a genre I don't often read, and found relatable characters and an interesting freshman year. If you're looking for something a little different in your YA contemporary romance, or looking for an awesome story starring an autistic character that's not a stereotypical white boy (instead a Palestinian girl), I highly recommend this one!

Quick premise of this is that recently diagnosed autistic, Palestinian Canadian 15-year-old Jackie starts high school and makes friends with three girls, Mel, Ofelia & Cat. She has older siblings but they are only briefly in the story. This takes place over an academic school year, from August to May in mostly high school campus settings and at friends' homes and is told in first-person POV of Jackie, who I found very sweet but constantly frustrated by others' questionable actions/motivations. This is definitely a coming-of-age with some romance splashed in! At the recommendation of her therapist, Jackie makes goals for the school year, which sometimes change, but mostly grow as the year goes on, which are closely related to friendships and romantic relationships. She wants Levi, a boy she has class with, to be her first kiss and to make Griffin her first male friend. She also wants her parents to stop being so overprotective when it comes to boys and she is adamant about never crying at school, or ever letting someone see her cry.

While I found Jackie to be so endearing and rooted for her, I also grew frustrated with her and pretty much everyone else in this book. I recognize it's teen fiction and the level of angst is expected. However, the pettiness, especially between the girls, was so saddening and disheartening. Yes, most of them had a happy lil ending but it was disappointing to see the girls gossip and treat each other so horribly out of such selfish motivations. Do I think that rings true to real life sometimes? Absolutely, but I ended up thinking that none of these people were worth Jackie's time! I wanted her to go into sophomore year with completely new friends to be honest.

As far as the romances, oh my goodness lol. The hard part for me is reconciling with the fact that these are 14/15-year-olds (minors) that are so openly discussing sexual activity and then the chaos of the multiple love triangles in this book. That's also representative of what my high school experience was like but sheeeesh, it was a LOT. I didn't love the multiple love triangles and it was also hard because this could have easily been middle grade to me without the making out and almost-statutory situation... Overall, I enjoyed Jackie's POV and her ruminations on what it's like to be a young autistic girl but I think the author should try exploring middle grade next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Jessie is an Arab Canadian girl starting high school just weeks after being diagnosed with ASD. She has goals that include a magical first kiss and a spot in the drama club, but what she doesn't expect is for two different boys to capture her heart.

This is a bit of a love triangle, but at the same time, the triangle doesn't really "appear" right away, so if you don't like them, it isn't that big of a factor. Jessie is funny and you care for her quickly. I don't personally know what it's like to be autistic, so I can't speak to Jessie's experiences with ASD, but the author does mention in the acknowledgements that she is autistic, so it's an own voices story!

This was lovely! A heartfelt romcom with an autistic WOC as a main character. That’s something I’ve never read or seen done at all! I really appreciated the autistic rep in this. I thought the experiences were relatable and well portrayed. I adored many of the side characters as well.

*Thank you to NetGalley for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.*

Jessie is a high school freshman, she has an obsession with the nineties, and she's just been diagnosed as autistic. Determined to have a fresh start in a new school, Jessie creates a number of goals for herself that include everything from getting a cellphone to having her first kiss. Enter Levi, the bad boy who fulfills all her nineties teen heartthrob fantasies. But things don't go the way Jessie imagines they will.

Something More is a beautiful, OwnVoices YA novel about trying to fit in and learning it's okay to stand out.

Was there some cheesiness mixed in there? Of course there was! But, Jessie and all the high school drama that she deals with felt authentic and had me finishing this book in one day. I absolutely loved it!

Jessie is a great main character - she's figuring out who she is, especially now that she's been newly diagnosed with ASD, and navigating friends, family, and relationships. I read a lot of YA, so I was surprised by how young this read and sometimes found it hard to get fully invested in, but Jessie really held the story together. She was incredibly thoughtful and I appreciated her ability to articulate what she needed in the end. The budding friendship was really fun to read about. The love triangle between Jessie, Levi, and Griffin was stressful (in a good way), but I always knew who I was rooting for, which is ideal for me. I'm definitely intrigued to read whatever Jckie Khalilieh writes next.

**I want to start by being fully transparent; I received this as an ARC from publisher and NetGalley BUT that does NOT sway my feelings/opinions at all. This is a fully unbiased review formed from my own thoughts after reading. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for allowing me this eARC copy**

Another novel I feel I would have loved if I read it months ago. Felt a bit young for me. Again, not bad just not for me

I finished this book within 24 hours! Debut author Jackie Khalilieh has perfectly captured the grade 9 girlhood experience in SOMETHING MORE, a YA contemporary following fifteen-year-old Jessie as she navigates a Canadian Catholic high school after recently being diagnosed with autism.

Joining Jessie was like reliving my freshman year, but with all of the humour and compassion that I did not have the first time. From female friendships, to relationships with older guys, to classroom dynamics and learning plans, Jessie is a gift to anyone who has survived, or is trying to survive, high school. I laughed out loud and had my heart racing as Jessie maneuvers through a (kind of) love triangle and ultimately, grows into herself. The question is not if you will enjoy this book, but whether you are Team Griffin or Team Levi? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

P.S. This book is a special treat to uniform girlies. The details, like which way your kilt pin is facing, blew me away!

This book was a really cute YA about a 9th grader trying to find her place. The thing I really enjoyed about this book was how young it was written for! Because I think the early YA just getting out of MID is a group that gets forgotten a lot!
I wanted almost a bit more of that classic YA awkwardness you get from books set in highschool, but it was an overal solid book!

Something More by Jackie Khalilieh follows the life of Jessie, a Palestinian-Canadian girl who is a bit of a loner and obsessed with the nineties. From the first sentence, the voice is strong with this narrative. It feels as if the reader drops into the world of Jessie as she struggles to fit in while balancing her family life. From the first page, I was in love with everything already wanting to read more. Initially, I wanted to read this book because I heard it talks about autism and does not shy away from the topic. It digs right into the painful stigma around Autism ending the first chapter with Jessie telling her whole family how she is autistic.

From there we continue on this messy journey with Jessie, which is great. Too often YA books feel a little too clean cut. I want to feel the awkwardness and the second hand embarrassment because at the end of the day, it makes me feel a little better knowing how I'm not alone with these thoughts especially as an individual who is also autistic.

Something More really is 'something more' because it's not only about Jessie being Palestonian-Canadian and her being austistic, but an endearing story about her meeting two boys that you can help root for. While I guessed right away who she would be with from the story, it was really all about the journey and has been awhile since I've gone on one that really captures the emotions of being young and different.

It's an engaging read that I know I'll be recommending to my students.

a very cute coming of age book about a autistic Palestinian teenage girl who spends her ninth grade figuring out where and how she fits into the world.
Friendships, first loves, the struggles of being Palestinian Canadian.

Without giving much away, this book was rather cute and should def get made into a movie, however the age should be increased to at least 17. this could be the next best coming of age book/movie/limited series show.

the small touch on the Palestinian conflict was so heartwarming to read. as a fellow first generation immigrant much like the author, and coming from a place of conflict. the identity crisis is real. The fact that this was based in Toronto Canada and had so many Canadian reference made me rather happy.

Jessie and Griffin were just so likeable and everyone else fit in perfectly too.

I liked that Jessie didn’t struggle with her Arab-Canadian identity and choose constantly to take risks and live in the moment.

As a neurodivergent person, I’ve been looking recently for books with ND rep and I was excited to read a book from the autistic perspective written by an autistic author. I’ve suspected I’m on the spectrum for a few years now so relating to MCs in how they navigate the world and process life feels really good. While Jessie went through very normal high school experiences, she processes them differently and I loved seeing how her friends came to understand that. I’m very happy I was approved to read this as an ARC and I definitely preordered the hardcover.